Knitting needle



Oct. 25, I932. R. K. MILLS 1,334,090

KNITTING NEEDLE Originai Filed Jan.. 8, 1930 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 I a 7 fm en/ar'. 1 76 i JYG E A/forney Oct. 25, 1932. R. K. MILLS 1,

KNITTING- NEEELE' Original Filed Jan.'8. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 9 m neys Patented Oct. 25, 1932 ROBERT KIRKLAND mLLs, or SHERWOOD, ENGLAND i'zNrrrrNe NEEDLE J Original application filed January 8, 1930, 'Serlai No. 419,229, and 1n Great Britain larch 28, 1929.- Divided and this application filed Decembr 22, 1930. Serial No. 503,933.

This case is a division of application Serial No. 419,229 filed by me on the 8th of January 1930, which application has since matured into Patent N 0. 1,844,781, dated February 9,

' This invention comprisemimprovements in knitting needles, the object of'the invention being to provide a needle by means of which knitted or crochet stitches of a novel or improved character can be produced.

A particular purpose of the invention is to provide a needle of-the pivoted latch type by which a locked or tied stitch can be formed consisting of intermeshing thread loops which are bound or tied one upon another by passingone loop through and closely around another loop, the incorporation of such stitches in a knitted fabric rendering immune from laddering or roving that part ofthe fabric at which said stitches are provided.

In the production of ordinary knitted or crocket stitches by a latch needle it is customary to clear the old loop below the latch, feed new thread into the needle hook and then proceed to cast off the old loop over the new loop which latter is retained on the needle. In order, however, to enable a locked or tied stitch of the aforesaid character to be formed on a latch needle, the new thread is fed below 3 a latch and means are provided whereby said new thread is retained beneath said latch while an old cleared loop is passed over same, after which said new loop is in turn passed over the old loop. A convenient method of accomplishing this is by providing a needle with a plurality of latches spaced one below the other on the needle stem, the new thread being fed between two latches instead of into the needle hookand retained there while the old loop is passed over same, such a method of accomplishment and a machine therefor being described and illustrated in application filed by me on January 8, 1930, Serial No. 419,229, of which case this application is a division.

During the production of a locked or tied stitch as above it will be appreciated that thenewly fed thread has to be retained between an opened or lowered latch and the needle stem while the old loop is being passed over same, and it is important, therefore, that between said open latch and the needle stem sufficient clearance is provided for freely accommodating the new thread without danger of its becoming nipped or gripped, so that a loopof suflicient length can be sunk on the needle for the production of the locked stitch.

To this end the present invention contemplates the provision of a knitting or crochet needle having a pivoted latch which when in the fully opened or lowered position provides a parallel or substantially parallel clearance or space between said latch and the needle stem or shank.

In a needle having two latches spaced one below the other, the parallel or substantially parallel clearance is required at the back of the top latch, the bottom latch being adapted when raised to butt against or overlap the lowered top latch and constitute an enclosed thread-accommodating space. i

For the purpose of more fully describing the nature of this invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure ,1 illustrates in side elevation a double latchneedle constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is' a front elevational view of the same needle. s

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a modification.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view illustrating a form of needle with a spring beard or hook with which the present invention is shown; and

' F igure 5-illustr'ates inside elevation another form of the invention eniploying three pivoted latches. v

The needle a illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings is provided with two pivoted latchesb, son the same side of the shank, the pivots b and 0 being spaced one above an'- other in such a manner that when-the upper latch b is lowered or opened and the lower latch 0 is raised the tips or extremities of the .two latches abut or overlap, and the said upper latch b when raised is adapted to coact with the needle book (1 and close same in the customary manner.

' ings the spoon vation for a substantial part of its length from the tip or free end thereof, and the latch may advantageously be slightly cranked so as to ensure that the space e between same and the shank is approximately parallel.

Each of the latches b and a is provided with a spoon-shaped extremity, the spoon c of the bottom latch 0 being somewhat Wider than the spoon b of the latch b so that when the two latches overlap as shown in the drawof the top latch b is accommodated within that of the bottom latch a.

It is also important that the width of the needle in side elevation orthe peripheral measurement of the needle at the-position of thefivot c of the bottom latch is smaller than the width at the position of the pivot 23 of the top latch.

,If desired, the provision of a parallel or substantially parallel clearance 6 may be accomplished or facilitated by a proper determination of the location of the pivot b of latch I), such for example as by locating said pivot nearer to the needle than tothe back or plain side thereof; see Figure 3. By doing this the cranking or bending of the latch may be avoided.

When utilizing a needle as described above for the production of a locked .or tied stitch .in knitted fabric, the old thread loop existing on the needle is cleared below the bottom latch'c and the new thread instead of being fed into the hook d is fed on to the needle shank between the two latches b and 0. The

old loop is then drawn upwardly along the needle and in so doing closes or raises the bottom latch 0 so as to cause same to overlap the lowered top latch'b, the new thread being retained in the clearance or space e at'the back of the top latch.- The old loop continues to pass upwardly on the needle over the overlapping latches into the hook (Z, thus causing the loop of new thread to be drawn through the old loop. The new loop is then drawn upwardly so asto raise the top latch b and close the hook (i, said new loop being cast ofi'cover the aforesaid threadloop which is retained in the needle hook.

Fromthe above it will be appreciated that the new thread fed to the needles between the latches is, during the drawing .of the old thread loop over same, retained in a freely top latch the front or hooked side of I displaceable manner within the substantially parallel space a between the top latchand needle shank, and the movement of said thread is not restricted by being gripped in any way.

. lhe hook of the needle may be either rigid or resilient, and in the latter casesame may comprise or resemble a spring beard h, the latch b when closed beingadapted to compress the said beard.

In some cases it may be desirable to provide three pivoted latches spaced one below the other on the shank, as represented in Fig. 5, in which case a stitch is produced having adouble lock or tie thereon. Where three latches are provided'the uppermost the latch 12 and the centre latch are preferably both constructed and mounted in the manner previously described with reference to the b of thedouble latch needle so as to provide a space or clearance such as 6 when either the uppermost or centre latch is low,- ered. The bottom latch c is constructed and arranged in a manner similar to the bottom latch in the previously described forms of the invention. I e

In the production of locked or tied stitches as before-described, an important advantage is gained in that, when knitting witharti-i ficial silk or equivalent gloss yarn, the par ticular construction of stitch as a delusterizing efiect, that is to say, the knitted fabric embodying said locked stitches instead of having theobjectionable glossy appearance customary with ordinary knitted fabric, resembles fabric made from pure or spun silk.

I claim z- 1. A knitting needle comprising a shank a hook on said'shank, a plurality of pivoted latches spaced one below the other on the.

same side of said shank, adjacent latches being adapted to engage or overlap at their tips when extending in op osite directions, and a parallel or substantia ly parallels ace being provided between the back of a ll opened or lowered latch and the needle shank for freely accommodating a thread laid on said shank.

2. A knitting needle comprising a shank with hooked extremity, a plurality of pivoted latches spaced one below the other on the same side of the shank, each latch being pivoted in a saw-cut or slot in the needle and 3 the uppermost of the latches and the sawcut accommodating same being so formed that when the latch is in the open or lowered position the back of that part of said late projecting from said saw-cut is positivel retained spaced from and parallel or substantially parallel with the needle shank to accommodate a thread laid on the needle shank.

3. A knitting needle as claimed in'claim 1 with this additional-feature that the width of the needle shank in side elevation at the dle shank which is of relatively increased position occupied by the pivot of the uppermost latch is greater than the width in side elevation of the needle shank at the position occupied by the pivot of the latch next below same.

4. A knitting needle as claimed in claim 1 with this additional feature that the peripheral dimension of the needle shank at the position occupied by the pivot of the uppermost latch is greater than the circumferential dimension of the needle shank at the position occupied by the pivot of the latch next below same.

5. A knitting needle such as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hook of the shank is a spring beard hook.

6. A knitting needle comprising a shank with hooked extremity,- a plurality of pivoted latches spaced one below the other on the same side of the shank, each latch being pivoted in a saw-cut or slot in the needle, each extremity to each latch and the spoon extremity of the uppermost latch being less than that of the latch next beneath same so that when the uppermost latch is lowered and the lowermost latch raised the spoon end within that of the second-named latch.

ROBERT KIRKLAND MILLS.

saw-cut being provided in a part of the neewidth in side elevation, the saw-cut or slot for the uppermost of the latches being so 7 formed that when the latch is in the open or lowered position the back of said latch is positively retained spaced from the needle shank, and the said latch being cranked or bent so that the 'spaceexisting between same and the shank is parallel.

7. A knitting needle as claimed in claim 6 parallel or substantially with this additional feature that approximately one half of the length of the upper latch from the free end of said latch is of uniform width or thickness in side elevation.

8. A knitting needle comprising a shank with hooked extremity, a plurality of pivoted latches spaced one below the other on the same side of the shank, the width of the needleshank in side elevation being increased at the position of each latch pivot, a sawcut or slot in each of said wider portions of the shank for accommodating the latch pivots, and the pivot of the uppermost latch being located-nearer to the front or hooked side of the needle than to the back or plain side thereof so that when said latch is opened or lowered a parallel or substantially parallel space or clearance exists between the back of same and the needle shank.

9. A knitting needle comprising a shank having a hook at its upper extremity, a lurality of saw-cuts or slots spaced one be ow the other and ormed in relatively wide portions of the needle shank'a d-isplaceable latch mounted to pivot within each of said sawcuts, the uppermost. latch being adapted when raised to coact with and close the needle hook and when lowered to provide aparallel or substantially parallel space or clearance between the back-of same and the nee- .dle shank forthe free accommodation of a thread laid on the said shank, a spoon-shaped of the first-named latch is accommodated 

